Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-12-03
"Mlle. Celeste Bondurand has !.

dowry Of 900, 900 francs, without men
tioning future expectations.
Monsieur Jacques Florent has fallen
into well-lined nest"
Master Philip smiled approvingly.
As his eyes fell upon the occupants oi
two of the carriages in the eortege, he
suddenly exclaimed:
''There they arel there they areT
They were invited, too, it seems. s'That
is capital joke" he added, laughing
until the tears rolled down his fat
cheeks. otis really good jokeI Do
you see them2"
''Do l see whomG / don't see any
thing to laugh at" 81
"There, in the sixth carriage, that
tall, light-haired man at the side Of that
young girl in pink dress with white
hat, is Monsieur dc Vauvilain, the chief
baillff. And in the other vehicle, that
small, fat man, with the lady in green,
is NJ. Chapuis, the wealthy land owner.
There is no doubt of it, they are both
invited to the wedding"
why, of course, Father Philip, OF
you would not see them in carriages
following the bride. But tell me, why
do you find 1T so funny that those gen.
tlemen should be invited to attend
Mile. Bondurand's wedding2"
'Tis truei / always forget that you
have just arrived and have, as yet, heard
nothing of it. you only knew. Ah,
no, let me laugh"
"There is an amusing story connected
with the marriage then7"
Amusing if you wish-that is, to
those who are acquainted with the
parties"
can the same, tell it to me, father
Philip, long to hear it,"
Being well-informed. ioquacious inn
keeper, Father Philip did not require
much persuasion. The wedding train
and the crowd had disappeared. We
were alone on the veranda, where trav-
elers generally slipped their coffee. !
ordered two cups and after tasting his
the old fellow commenced as follows:
II must begin by telling you that
Jacques Florent, whom you have just
noticed, and who has married so we'll,
was born in this neighborhood. We
used to see him, when quite small, going
to the parochiol school, his satchel on
his back, and his hands in his pockets.
He was a civil, we'll bred youngster.
When he met one he would politely doff
his cap, and when school was dismissed,
he would never loaf about the streets in
stead Of going home. His mother, who
managed small farm near by, would
take him to school in the morning when
she came to town to sell the milk of her
COWS, and would call sfor him in the
evening, on her way home. She was a
widow, and worked hard to bring her
son up properly.
On his side, little Jacques worked
hard also. One year he won so many
prizes that he could not carry them all.
Then his mother determined to send
him to college. She found no sacrifice
too great in order to obtain the means of
paying for his board and lodging. She
would arise an honr earlier in the morn
ing and 60 TO bed later at night, while
all day long she would toll like slave.
Poor Mother Florent. How she did
move about in those days. Luckily it
was not long before the youngster was
able to provide for himself He first
won a scholarship here, another at col
lege, still another in Paris at the Ecole
Centrale, where he stood at the head tf
his classes.
"He must be phenix, thenI''
Il don't know about his being .
phoenix, but one thing certain is, that,
like his mother, he is hard worker;
and by working hard, one always gets
on"
II agree with you there"
"Well, to cut the story short, he sue
ceeded. In Paris, during three years le
faithfully attended to his studies, while
he gave lessons here and there, and by
this means made money enough to meet
his smaller expenses. At last, he passed
his final examination successfully, aud,
with his diploma in his pocket, he re-
turned home. His good reputation had
preceded him, and on his arrival NJ.
Bondurand offered him situation in his
woolen mills"
"Ahi yes. Now / understand about
the marriage. But how about those two
that you were laughing about awhile
ago? Where do NJ. de Vauvilain, baliff,
and NJ. Chapuis, the landed proprietor,
come ini'
'Hold on. you go too fast. In plac-
ing Jacques Florent at the head of his
factory, M. Bondurand had not the least
idea Of letting him wed his daughter
neither did Mime. Bondurand, / assure
you"
Then Mile Celeste's marriage took
place against their wishesa"
"Never in the world"
II don't understand it at all then"
"That is not surprising. You don't
give me time to explain things. You
may well suppose that, with her
fortune, Mile Celeste, who Is a charm
ing young person, as you may have
noticed yourself, and who was brought
up las a princess, had no end Of ad-
mirers. Every winter Nine. Bondurand's
parlors are thronged with the best
society of the town, and at her recep-
lions the richest and most dis
tinguished people are to be met.
Being an engineer, Paul was invited.
lie never failed to attend, but he
always remembered his place, while
Messrs. Chapuis and de Vauvilain para
dcd in the first ranks, letting It be